VFX — “Red vs. Blue” Season 10, Rooster Teeth Productions

He's alive... ALIVE! After a half-year stint as VFX artist, compositor, and live-action pre-viz director on Rooster Teeth's 10th season of Red vs. Blue, Gray is back on the production scene and taking on new gigs. But oh, what a fantastic time it was.
The sleepless nights were easily countered by being surrounded by great friends and an enthusiastic team, and the knowledge that we were cranking out the coolest series on the 'net. Seriously -- Rooster Teeth has been tearing it up this year what with casting coups such as adding Elijah Wood to the ensemble, ...

SHORT — The Quiet Girl’s Guide to Violence, Official Selection: Fantastic Fest, Telluride Horror Show

Once again, the lesson here is watch out for Jennymarie Jemison. No, not referring to her triple-threat acting-writing-producing skills. No, we're trying to tell you that even when she's not out to get you with her vorpal blade, she's still gonna teach you a lesson or two on the morality of violence. Gray was reunited with both Jennymarie as well as director Rafael Ruiz, serving as camera operator and gear provider on this darkly humorous short (and possible pilot for further misadventures) which has already been selected to be shown at Alamo Drafthouse's annual Fantastic Fest as well as ...

COMMERCIAL — Zed’s

Director Emily Hagins gives us a lovely peek at the many faces of Zed's, in this television commercial for the modern casual dining establishment in Austin, TX. Gray served as director of photography on this spot by Arcanum Pictures:

LIVE EVENT — SXSW x RvB

Rooster Teeth. Performing Red vs. Blue. Live. On stage. For the first time ever. ...who wouldn't want to cover that?! Everyone had a blast -- or at the very least, copious amounts of free beer -- as machinima history was made at SXSW 2012. We'll update you as soon as we can if/when RT and event sponsor BlipTV releases the video! [gallery link="file"]

ANIMATION — Dale Carnegie, ZaneFX

Gray was pretty happy to return to a more "traditional" animation approach when he was asked by ZaneFX to come onboard as a 2D animator and compositor for this series of educational videos for Dale Carnegie Training. The character designs and vocal performances were quite charming and made animating the sequences a breeze. Here's one of Gray's episodes:

COMMERCIAL — VadoVia, Rocksauce Studios

We love it when the job takes us on adventures all over Austin, letting us find new interesting locations and try out the latest food trailers. And what better company could you have than the gang over at Rocksauce Studios and DP Seth Iliff? Working the camera crew was a blast and the spot turned out nicely -- check it out:

VFX — “Red vs Blue” Season 9, Rooster Teeth Productions

"The best gig ever. Of all time," as the RvB gang might say. And really, how else are you going to describe getting to work with the Rooster Teeth gang? Gray was tapped to join the animation team as a VFX artist and compositor for the CG-driven "Freelancer" storyline of season 9 of the award-winning, record-breaking, internet-shaking series, slamming out over a dozen episodes of the show in under two months. You can check out the entire comedy-action web series at the Rooster Teeth website, but in the meantime here's a taste of what Gray got to ...

SHORT — “Alice: Madness Returns” Movie Trailer

A frabjous time was had by all putting together this haunting promotional short for American McGee's Alice 2 videogame in the guise of a live-action movie trailer. Gray was incredibly proud to produce, shoot, and work on VFX alongside Zane Rutledge, Paul Gandersman and the ever-lovely Jennymarie Jemison as our Alice. Enjoy the creepiness:

NATIONAL COMMERCIAL — GelPro / Bed Bath & Beyond

Gray served as director of photography in this television commercial produced by Expressions in Video, for GelPro Comfort Mats and Bed Bath & Beyond. We tried 'em out all day while shooting this spot, pretty nice. Stand in one spot a lot, in the kitchen, garage, workplace? You'd be surprised how much less tired you feel using them. If only we could have hung on to some samples to keep behind the camera...
GelPro Comfort Mat - National TV Ad from Expressions In Video on Vimeo.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO — Spinferno

We had a "hell-a good" (...oh come on, how would *you* phrase it?) time helping knock out a quick spot for the gang at Scabfarm and Rocksauce Studios! Working alongside director Laura Andrew (Scabfarm), DP Paul Gandersman (Arcanum Pictures), animator Bernard Gumz (MTV's Liquid Television), and actor Sam Eidson (Zero Charisma), you can guess we had more than a few laughs putting this one together. You can check out the promotional video for the video game app below:
Spinferno Game from Rocksauce Studios on Vimeo.

SHORT — “No Way Out,” Official Fantastic Fest Selection

Gray was most excited to work on the camera and VFX teams for the short "No Way Out," starring renowned horror actor A.J. Bowen ("You're Next," "The Signal," "House of the Devil"). The project was directed by Aaron Morgan, co-written by Morgan and AICN's Eric "Quint" Vespe, and produced by Arcanum Pictures.
We'll post the short here when we can. However, immediately upon the short's completion, it was selected to be shown at Alamo Drafthouse's Fantastic Fest 2011 and has been making the submission rounds on the festival circuit ever since! An interesting technical note, the ...

ANIMATION — A Legacy of Giving, PetersGroup PR

For two semesters now, W&S has been hired by PetersGroup PR to provide animation and video services to philanthropic non-profit organization A Legacy of Giving. We were proud to produce their educational videos, teaching students how it's never to early to learn to give back to the community. Our work was even shown at the United Nations 2012 conference on clean water!
Here's a video with a small selection of samples:
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LIVE MUSIC VIDEOS — Rolling Stone’s “Street to Stage” series

Being hired to wander downtown Austin, listening to (and shooting) live music performances right there on the street? Yes, that would be considered a perk of the job.
Here for example, we have songstress Lauren Walley, in one of the performances and interviews shot for Rolling Stone and Sprint's reality web series "Street to Stage."

VFX FOR TV — Nuclear Family

Gray had the privilege of teaming up with ZaneTV on the visual effects for the post-apocalyptic television drama "Nuclear Family" directed by Kyle Rankin and starring Ray Wise and Sharon Lawrence! Effects included a variety of background tracking and replacement, digital matte paintings, grenade explosions, gunplay, knife stabs, tranquilizer dart hits -- oh yeah, and a nuclear explosion. Really, all the fun things you could ask for in a show about a family spending some quality time together wandering the wasteland. Check out the trailer below:
UPDATE:
Starting Oct. 1 2012 on Xbox, followed by everywhere else (Hulu, Syfy.com, etc.) ...

SHORT FILM — “El Taconazo” (aka “Brown”)

We had a blast working on one of the very first projects to use UT Austin's Panavision 35mm camera package, for Carlos Medina's short film "El Taconazo" (aka "Brown"). DP Marcel Rodriguez, camera op/1st AC Gray Haddock, and crew wrangled some lovely images out of the Panavision G2, don't you think?
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W&S @ SXSW

Gray's work found its way into this year's SXSW Film Fest not once, but twice! Both the teen vampire comedy feature "My Sucky Teen Romance" (VFX) as well as the music video "Worth It" (camera op) were festival selections.
Once again, congrats to director Emily Hagins, producer Paul Gandersman, VFX supervisor Brian Behm (who was also responsible for some of the coolest premiere swag, in the form of old school wax-pack trading cards for the movie) and the rest of the MSTR gang.
And congratulations to "Worth It" director Marcel Rodriguez and producer/artist Patricia Vonne -- a sincere thanks ...

SERIES PILOT – Do-Overs, scene 4

An overnight shoot at downtown Austin's Seaholm Power Plant provided the fourth scene for the MadHatterCollective's pilot for bad-cop-worse-cop drama series "Do-Overs." This scene completes the first full sequence in the story.
Special thanks to cast members Ben Wolfe, Drew Whelpley, Ken Thomas, and Jimmy Gonzales, and crew members Isaac Hammons, Melody Lopez, and Dustin Warden. We appreciate everyone putting in the long, dark hours.

VFX FOR FEATURE MOVIE – My Sucky Teen Romance

So let's say you pull together the resources to direct your latest feature, a charming anti-"Twilight" take on high school vampire romance (and let's set aside that you're actually juggling attending high school while shooting). You wrap principle photography and assemble a rough cut just in time to make the late submission cutoff to SXSW -- and you're accepted! Well then, congratulations, you now have about a month to complete your screening cut, including final edit, ADR, sound mix, color... and nearly 100 visual effects (VFX) shots.
Congrats to wunderkind director (hm, I wonder if she's tired of being ...

PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS — Rudy Reyes, Next Dragon, Tough Mudder

Here's the latest video work centered around martial artist, actor, and former recon marine Rudy Reyes, host of forthcoming martial arts reality show "The Next Dragon." First up, we have a peek at some footage from a personal bio segment, shot on Red One. This is followed by the latest "Next Dragon" promo video shot on Canon DSLRs. Lastly, some screencaptures from Canon footage of Rudy's participation in the 12 mile extreme (read: designed by the British Special Forces) obstacle course "Tough Mudder."
Regarding the Tough Mudder, if you happen to wonder whether keeping up with the participants while ...

NATIONAL COMMERCIAL — Carino’s “Abused by Tradition” Campaign

The latest in a series of national spots we've done for Carino's Italian, this is the first in their "Abused by Tradition" advertising campaign. This spot was shot by Gray G. Haddock and Paul Gandersman on a Red One for ZaneTV. Congrats to Zane Rutledge and Jeff Stolhand on the kickoff to the campaign.

DOCUMENTARY – Righting Wounds

Melody Lopez has taken the leap and begun shooting her first documentary, "Righting Wounds." The doc is an inspiring look at people who use writing, in whatever format, in order to facilitate recovery after traumatic experiences. Over the course of this year's shoot, we'll be collecting conversations with authors and professors, soldiers and screenwriters -- people graciously sharing their tales of making use of written expression to enable the healing process. W&S is providing camera/lighting gear as well as location sound, and Gray is proud to be serving as director of photography on Melody's debut project.
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VFX — The Duplass Brothers’ “Jeff Who Lives At Home” for Paramount Pictures

W&S has begun offering visual effects (VFX) services! We're very proud to announce that the first such gig was working on the new Paramount Pictures feature from writers/directors Jay and Mark Duplass (Puffy Chair, Baghead, Cyrus), titled Jeff Who Lives At Home. Gray's work can be seen in shots that feature star members of the cast such as Susan Sarandon and Rae Dawn Chong. A very special thanks to ZaneFX for the invitation to join the team.
Check out the preview below:

COMMERCIAL — “Smiles” for C2C Multimedia

When C2C's director of photography became unavailable for their last-minute "pickup" shoot, they reached out to Gray to complete the job. Congrats to C2C (as well as Scabfarm for the fantastic puppets) for such a fun and unique spot! If this doesn't get your kid into a better mood about visiting the dentist, nothing will:

WEBISODES – Carino’s MasterPasta Theater: Pasta Harvest

What, you never heard of the Pasta Harvest? How else do you think they grow pasta? W&S was hired by ZaneTV to provide camera work, location sound, gear and even wardrobe and props for the latest round of webisodes for Carino's Italian. Video sample is below, and be sure to check out Carino's Pasta Harvest website for the rest!

WEDDING – Vintage Villas

Another gorgeous wedding video from 1023's Wedding Theater, including camera work by W&S's Gray G. Haddock! Whether you're a bride in need of an entire wedding video package, or are a video team in need of an additional shooter with gear, contact us!

SERIES PILOT – Do-Overs, scene 3

The MadHatters are at it again, this time knocking out the third of four planned scenes for series pilot "Do-Overs." Half the shooting was done on location, half in W&S's greenscreen studio. We'll let you know as soon as you can check out final footage!

LIVE EVENT CAPTURE – Celebrando Austin

C2C Multimedia hired Gray to cover the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's annual fete "Celebrando Austin!" A lovely evening, filled with fine food and entertainment -- and it was very fun to hang with the C2C crew again!
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NATIONAL COMMERCIAL – Carino’s Italian, “Let It Snow!”

Congrats to ZaneTV on their first national commercial for Carino's Italian, for which W&S worked the pre-light and visual effects (VFX) test shoot. The spot, shot on a RED One, was the result of a commercial idea contest at Carino's and was written up in a "Campaign Spotlight" article in the New York Times as well as the Austin Business Journal!

LIVE EVENT / ACTOR SUPPORT — A Christmas Carol

Austin Playhouse's "A Christmas Carol" has been a holiday treat for years. This original adaptation uses over 60 characters, all performed by award winning storyteller Bernadette Nason. W&S was brought in to capture a performance of this year's encore engagement, using a very simple 1 camera person, 2 camera setup.

WEBISODES – Carino’s Italian

W&S provided both camera work and location sound for ZaneTV's first webisodes for Carino's Italian. The videos are intended to be very casual behind-the-scenes looks at how Executive Chef Chris Peiterson crafts his dishes, and are targeted for playback on mobile devices. Head on over to the Carino's website to view them all!

WEDDING – Janee and Jamie at Seward Hill!

Another cinematic wedding shot for the fine folk at The Wedding Theater (whose videos were named "2011 Pick: Best of Weddings" by The Knot!). This one was for Janee and Jamie at the Vista at Seward Hill. Congratulations, ladies!
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C2C Multimedia hired W&S's Gray G. Haddock to shoot footage for their multimedia presentations at this year's "Celebrando" awards fete thrown by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Below are a few of the videos shown at the ceremony.

SERIES PILOT – Do-Overs, scene 2

Here are a handful of stills from the latest scene of "Do-Overs," a series pilot by the MadHatterCollective and starring Austin actors Ben Wolfe and Drew Whelpley! Stay tuned -- we'll let you know as soon as you can watch the videos!
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PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY

W&S is available for high-quality product photography and videography, such as this abstract wine bottle shoot for director Rafael Ruiz's series on Caliornia's Artiste Winery, or food "hero" shots for ZaneTV's spots for Carino's Italian. Contact us about your project!
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PROMOTIONAL VIDEO – Paloma Vista Dental

C2C Multimedia brought Gray in as camera op and gear provider on their recent spots for Paloma Dental. You can check out below how the project turned out.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO – Joao Crus Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Expressions in Video hired W&S to provide camera work and location sound on a promotional video for Joao Crus Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We think the video turned out great!

SCREENWRITING SERVICES

W&S was recently hired to write the script for upcoming short-format comedy "TextMex!" Got a pitch that you need transformed into a full screenplay? Whether your needs are narrative, commercial or corporate/industrial, we can develop any concept you have. Talk to us!

SHORTS/ACTOR SUPPORT – Scenes for Actor Demo Reel

Need to spice up your acting reel? Austin company Expressions in Video hired W&S's Gray G. Haddock to serve as director of photography for a series of short scenes showcasing up and coming local actors. Seen here are a series of unprocessed screen captures from the shoot.[gallery link="file" order="DESC"]

WEDDING – An Evening at the Oasis

W&S has been shooting cinematic high definition wedding videos in Austin throughout the year -- here's another example, shot for 1023's "Wedding Theater," captured at Riverbend's Smith Chapel with reception at The Oasis. Enjoy the wedding video "trailer" and these sample images!
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TV PILOT — Who will be… THE NEXT DRAGON

W&S had the privilege to serve as AD and camera operator on the concept pilot for new martial arts reality show "The Next Dragon," currently under development by Iron Dragon Productions and Innovative Renderworks. Special thanks to producers Arnie Reyes and Janell Smith as well as director Marcel Rodriguez. Congratulations to host Rudy Reyes and cast and crew!
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MUSIC VIDEO – Patricia Vonne’s “Worth It”

A man on the run, a girl, and a gun! Fog machines and fight scenes, temptresses and trouble! Loosely inspired by the melodramatic music videos of the '80s, this shoot had it all. It was an extreme pleasure to work alongside director Marcel Rodriguez as assistant director and camera operator (and even occasional grip) on this music video shoot for the title track of Patricia Vonne's new album "Worth It." Thanks again to Marcel and Patricia for the invitation to come play!
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COMMERCIAL – What would you wish for?

It was a dark and steamy night, full of, as director Zane Rutledge put it,"falling stars, falling gemstones, and falling dresses." A lovely time was had by all working with MHC as co-director of photography and camera op on this latest sexy, tongue-in-cheek spot for Charles & Covard.
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COMMERCIAL – There’s an app for love?

"Geek Love" was in the air on this recent shoot for MHC's commercial for Charles & Covard jewelry. Serving as co-producer and director of photography, Gray had a fine time with the talented crew and cast.
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Welcome to Masterpiece “Wedding Theater”

Here's a sample of our cinematic wedding video work, in this case shot for the fine folk at 1023's "Wedding Theater." Whether you're planning your own wedding or you are a photographer or production house in need of partnering up with a video shooting team, give us a call. We're based in Austin, but are available to travel anywhere from central Texas to any destination wedding.
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COMMERCIAL – What she really wants…

W&S had more than a little fun recently shooting multiple mischievous commercials with MHC for Charles & Colvard jewelry, serving as a director of photography, camera op, and co-producer.
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SHORT – Time to play “Charades!”

Gray provided camera work on Shiraz Jafri's adult comedy short "Charades" (as mentioned previously) -- and the final product is now available for you to see! (warning: contains adult language)

Do-Overs: Pilot for Web Series

W&S was proud to participate in the development, production and post for the kickoff of "Do-Overs" for the Mad Hatter Collective. Stay tuned for the "are they dirty or aren't they" cop drama's first episode to hit the web. In the meantime, a handful of screengrabs from the opening scene...
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SHORT – “The Special,” Food Porn?

In this photo, director of photography John Bryant makes final adjustments to the "knife cam" attached to actor Gopal Bidari, as director Shiraz Jafri, location sound operator Greg Armstrong, and electrician Tom Shinn look on.
Director Shiraz Jafri, having worked with us on his previous short film "Charades," hired W&S to serve as Assistant Director, 2nd Camera, DIT and equipment provider on his latest short "The Special." This short serves as a prequel to his forthcoming feature "Diced." We shot on a DVX100 as well as a Canon 7D, and for special inserts we used a GoPro Hero (shown ...

LIVE EVENT / PROMOTIONAL — Entertainment Weekly Event at SXSW

When Entertainment Weekly tapped Marcel Rodriguez to cover their SXSW party featuring alternative top 40 band Neon Trees, he turned to W&S for the camera and gear, to provide on location camera and DIT support, and act as 2nd shooter. Here is a rough cut sample of our footage for EW and their sponsors.

PROMOTIONAL VIDEO – Austin Playhouse

When you need a promotional video to include with your business plan, website, or for submission for arts funding grants, you can contact W&S. Seen here is example coverage of Austin Playhouse's 2009 Winter Gala, including music by Austin's own Lucky Strikes!

SHORT – “Project: RANT!”

W&S has shot an episode of Pitch Production's infamous Project: RANT! Watch out for "Kinky Boyfriend" on their website this summer (as soon as they figure out how to deliver their new, racier versions of episodes).

Live Performance Capture for Austin Playhouse

Here's a performance sample of Austin Playhouse's production of George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance." This particular sample shows a simple 1 position, 2 camera setup (as opposed to a multi-angle setup as demonstrated in the samples for "Speed the Plow").

SHORT – A Very Arnie Christmas?

Check out the demented comedy stylings of Shiraz Jafri and Gopal Bidari's "Arnie Schwartzenegger!" Also featuring Austin's own burlesque beauty Ruby Joule of performing troupe The Jigglewatts! W&S was happy to serve as co-producer, sound op, and camera and equipment provider on the shorts.

Concept Short for Future Feature

Rafael Ruiz, director and co-writer of 2009 Austin Film Fest Selection "Holy Hell," used W&S as cameraman and equipment provider on his concept short for a forthcoming feature-length project. We shot on an HVX200 as well as a Canon 7D. Can't relate any more details than that, but here is a tiny handful of uncorrected stills from the raw footage (as compressed jpgs):[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="4" orderby="title"]

MULTIMEDIA FOR LIVE PERFORMANCE — Frost/Nixon

Austin Playhouse hired W&S to provide the video design for their production of "Frost/Nixon." A recreation of the 1977 "60 Minutes" interview between David Frost and Mike Wallace, along with multiple interludes, photo montages, and moving scenery backdrops, were used live during performances. W&S also provided the projection and playback gear.

Live Performance Capture for Austin Playhouse

W&S provides top-notch high definition capture and editing services. Case in point, we recently shot some live performance samples for Austin Playhouse, turning their production of "Speed the Plow" into a video worthy of Masterpiece Theater! Ok, perhaps we're being overly dramatic. But you can judge for yourself:
Videos-
Final samples were in 24fps high definition with a 5.1 surround sound mix (embedded audio presented here is 2 channel stereo).
Screencaps-
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SHORT – Life is a game of “Charades”

W&S was hired by director Shiraz Jafri to provide camera work for his latest short film "Charades." The short is in final sound mix and score is being added, and will be posted here as soon as it's complete and ready for the festival circuit. In the meantime, here are various screencaps from the raw footage:
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WEBISODES – What’s a RushMonkey?

Rushmonkeys.com recently decided to begin producing video episodes of their high-adventure madness, moving beyond basic writeups and photography. W&S shot the first installment for them at Austin Rock Gym, focusing on rock climbing instruction.
Rock Climbing Basics, Part 1 from rushmonkeys on Vimeo.
Rock Climbing Basics, Part 2 from rushmonkeys on Vimeo.

live event

Rooster Teeth. Performing Red vs. Blue. Live. On stage. For the first time ever. …who wouldn’t want to cover that?! Everyone had a blast — or at the very least, copious amounts of free beer — as machinima history was made at SXSW 2012. We’ll update you as soon as we can if/when RT and event sponsor BlipTV releases... [Read more of this review]

Being hired to wander downtown Austin, listening to (and shooting) live music performances right there on the street? Yes, that would be considered a perk of the job.
Here for example, we have songstress Lauren Walley, in one of the performances and interviews shot for Rolling Stone and Sprint’s reality web series “Street to Stage.”
Read More →

Another gorgeous wedding video from 1023’s Wedding Theater, including camera work by W&S’s Gray G. Haddock! Whether you’re a bride in need of an entire wedding video package, or are a video team in need of an additional shooter with gear, contact us!
Read More →

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DEMO REEL 2013

Production Value: The Pipeline and How To Swing It

Writing & Shooting is a video production company providing a comprehensive array of services, from pre-production to production to post. We can aid you with any step of your cinematic project -- develop your concept, write the script, shoot, and/or edit -- and we can deliver your product for whatever medium you are targeting, be it web, DVD, Blu-Ray, TV or theatrical.